There's at least a plausible interpretation of your earlier comment that the attempt was futile or without merits.

The OP makes clear that this was the only viable way of extracting information. 1 >>> 0.

Also, as a sufficiently early recording (anything before the mid-1940s), the medium would have been shellac or wax rather than vinyl. Shellac especially is immensely fragile and prone to shatter when handling.